British people are having less sex now than in recent years, according to a large national survey.
The findings, published in the British Medical Journal, suggest nearly a third of men and women have not had sex in the past month.
That’s up from around a quarter in 2001, according to the data from 34,000 people.
Less than half of men and women aged 16 to 44 have sex at least once a week, responses show.
Over-25s and couples who are married or living together account for the biggest falls in sexual activity across the 21-year period.
The data the researchers looked at came from three successive waves of the British National Survey of Sexual Attitudes and Lifestyles carried out in 1991, 2001, and 2012.
They give a snapshot of sexual behaviour among Britons.
According to the most recent survey:
- Less than half (41%) of people aged 16 to 44 have had sex at least once a week in the last month
- The proportion reporting no sex in the past month has increased – from 23% to 29.3% among women and from 26% to 29.2% among men between 2001 and 2012
- The proportion reporting sex 10 or more times in the past month has fallen – from 20.6% to 13.2% among women and from 20.2% to 14.4% among men between 2001 and 2012
- The average number of times that 35 to 44-year-olds reported having sex in the past month fell from four to two among women and from four to three among men
Researchers from the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine say the decrease in sexual frequency has been seen among people who have previously been sexually active, rather than more people deciding to keep their virginity.
